Abstract
Physical rehabilitation for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients has been recommended after its effectiveness in maintaining and improving motor function as well as quality of life was reported in Europe and the United States. In this study, we conducted a nationwide survey to investigate current issues in rehabilitation for allogeneic HSCT recipients in Japan and to aid in the design of rehabilitation programs hereafter. The survey was conducted in August 2010 by mailing questionnaires to 128 institutions where at least 5 allogeneic HSCTs were performed annually, excluding pediatric recipients. Of 80 responses received, 77 were selected for analysis after screening out invalid responses (valid response rate: 60.2%). The results obtained were as follows: 27 institutions (35.1%) provided physical rehabilitation services to all allogeneic HSCT recipients; 13 (16.9%) only provided them to those recipients with low performance status (PS) scores; and 37 (48.1%) did not provide any physical rehabilitation services. The most common reason given for not providing rehabilitation services was “insufficient physical therapists” (15 institutions; 40.5%). These findings provide evidence that the provisions for rehabilitation intervention for allogeneic HSCT recipients are by no means adequate in Japan, and that implementation of standard physical rehabilitation programs using evidence-based guidelines is urgently required.
